Imagine a Siri capable of opening your preferred email client on your iPhone and sending an important email seamlessly. Picture an Apple-branded smart home hub, elegantly wall-mounted in your kitchen, equipped with Apple Intelligence for instant access to smart home controls and a conversational voice assistant. Envision an iPhone just 6mm thin, standing out for its ultra-sleek, stylish design.
All of this could turn into a reality in 2025, with Apple already working on these devices and services for launch next year.
Apple in 2025: 5 things that could wow us
Apple enjoyed an impressive 2024, launching the revamped iPad Pro powered by the M4 chip, followed by the launch of the iPhone 16 lineup featuring Camera Control and Apple Intelligence. It capped off the year with the debut of the M4 Macs, bringing a huge leap in performance and efficiency.
2025 could be even bigger for the company as it works to incorporate Apple Intelligence across its other products while launching some breakthrough new devices. This includes a long overdue iPhone SE refresh, a newer-generation iPad Air with faster internals, and more.
Of all the devices and services Apple will launch in 2025, below are the five I’m most excited about.
5. AirPods Pro 3
Apple may or may not release the AirPods Pro 3 in 2025. But if the third-gen Pro earbuds arrive next year, expect them to come with health-focused features. Apple is seemingly working on heart-rate tracking for AirPods Pro while also looking to integrate IR cameras for AI use.
The only catch is that there’s no guarantee that the next-gen AirPods Pro will launch with such health features. Even if they don’t, if AirPods Pro 3 launch in 2025, they should deliver improved audio quality, even better active noise cancellation and longer battery life.
→ What to expect from AirPods in 2025
4. AirTag 2
Photo: Mark Chan/Unsplash
Apple forever changed the tracking tiles market when it launched the AirTag in April 2021. While several similar Bluetooth trackers were previously available, none offered the same level of integration with the iPhone as AirTag. Apple’s tracking tag also stood out for taking advantage of the massive Find My network to offer unrivaled coverage. More than three years later, there is still no AirTag alternative worth buying.
Rumors suggest that Apple will unveil the AirTag 2 in mid-2025, with an upgraded chip for better range and location tracking. The tracking tiles reportedly will be findable through Precision Finding within a 50-meter range, up from the current model’s 30-meter max. A new Ultra Wideband chip will make this possible.
Apple also might improve the AirTag 2’s design, making tampering difficult. From everything we’ve heard so far, the AirTag 2 is shaping up to be a clear winner for Apple in 2025.
3. Apple Intelligence upgrades
Screenshot: Apple
Apple’s most significant launch this year wasn’t the M4 MacBook Pro or the iPhone 16 Pro — it was Apple Intelligence. The company’s suite of AI features might seem underwhelming currently. But with time, they could change how you use your iPhone, Mac or iPad. After all, the best parts of Apple Intelligence have yet to arrive.
In 2025, Apple plans to release one of Apple Intelligence’s hotly anticipated features, enabling you to use Siri to control third-party apps on your iPhone. It theoretically could turn Siri — which Apple launched in 2011 — into a true virtual assistant, capable of carrying out tasks across multiple apps based on your command. That’s not it, though. With iOS 19 next fall, Apple might debut a more conversational LLM-powered Siri for an even better experience.
Apple also should make other compelling upgrades to Apple Intelligence in iOS 19 for a better experience. There’s not much known yet, but rest assured that — despite Apple’s late entry into the AI game — it should stand out for its superior implementation and ecosystem integration.
2. iPhone 17 Air
Apple might rejig its iPhone lineup in a big way next year with the introduction of the iPhone 17 Air. The main selling point of the device reportedly will be its slim and svelte design.
It seems Apple wants to bring slim phones back into fashion. And reports indicate the Air could be Apple’s slimmest iPhone yet, with a waistline of just 6mm. For comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25mm thick. To achieve such a slim design, Apple will need to make a few compromises. These reportedly include equipping the device with a single rear camera and sacrificing battery capacity.
The iPhone 17 Air also might be among the first devices to feature Apple’s in-house 5G modem. The hardware reportedly will ship without mmWave support, so the slim iPhone won’t deliver blazing-fast download speeds over 5G. On the plus side, all these compromises mean the iPhone 17 Air could cost $899 — the same as the iPhone 16 Plus — thankfully not as expensive as initially rumored.
1. New Apple smart home hub(s)
So far, Apple has failed to achieve success in the smart home market. The original HomePod smart speaker was known for its sound quality rather than its smartness. With the HomePod mini, the company made some amends, launching the smaller speaker at a more affordable price point. But the Siri problem remained.
Now, with a smarter, AI-powered Siri on the horizon, Apple seems ready to reenter the smart home market. The company is reportedly working on a 7-inch, iPad-like smart home display that homeowners would mount on their walls. The device, rumored to debut in mid-2025, will run on homeOS and feature Apple Intelligence support, bringing Apple’s AI smarts to your home. It will offer seamless access to apps like Calendar, Notes and Home.
Apple is also apparently working on a high-end tabletop iPad with a robot arm. According to Bloomberg, Apple envisions the device as a “smart home command center, videoconferencing machine and remote-controlled home security tool.”
Apple reportedly approved the project internally in 2022, so we could see it next year. However, the latest rumors indicate this high-end smart home controller is unlikely to launch before 2026 or 2027.
More on what to expect from Apple in 2025
A more conversational and Apple Intelligence-powered Siri, a slim new iPhone, an upgraded AirTag with longer range, an upgraded AirPods Pro with heart-rate tracking, and a reentry into the smart home market. With such major product launches lined up for 2025, Apple seems all set to impress us next year with its innovations.
But that’s not all Apple has up its sleeve for 2025. For even more spoilers for about Apple’s plans for the upcoming year, read our other look-ahead posts:
- What to expect from the Mac in 2025
- iPhone 2025: One of Apple’s biggest design shakeups ever
- What to expect from iPad, iPad Pro and iPad Air in 2025
- What to expect from Apple Watch in 2025
- What to expect from HomePod and HomePod mini in 2025
- What to expect from Vision Pro in 2025
- What to expect from AirPods in 2025
